Bibbo (born Ishrat Sultana 1906 – 1972) was a music composer, singer and actress who worked in both Indian and Pakistani films.
1930
She was one of the top leading ladies of the 1930s along with actresses like Devika Rani, Durga Khote, Sulochana, Mehtab, Shanta Apte, Sabita Devi, Leela Desai and Naseem Banu.
She was referred to as "one of the most important female stars of the 1930s and 1940s".
1931
She acted in Indian cinema from 1931 to 1947 before moving to Pakistan, following Partition of India in 1947.
1933
She started her acting career with Ajanta Cinetone Ltd. in 1933, working with directors like M. D. Bhavnani and A. P. Kapoor.
Her first film was Rangila Rajput, followed by Mayajaal, both in 1933.
She worked in nearly thirty films as a lead actress in India from 1933 to 1947, shifting to character roles in later years, following her move to Pakistan.
Bibbo's first recorded film was the successful Rangila Rajput (The Gay Cavalier) (1933), directed by M. D. Bhavnani and starring Master Nissar, with popular music by B. S. Hoogan.
Her second film that year for Ajanta was Mayajaal, a fantasy directed by Shanti L. Dave for Ajanta Cinetone Ltd., co-starring Master Nissar, P. Jairaj and Shahzadi, with music composed by B. S. Hoogan.
1934
Bibbo became the first female music composer of Indian cinema, when she composed the music for Adal-e-Jahangir in 1934, a year before Jaddanbai, mother of actress Nargis, composed music for Talash-e-Haq (1935).
Her acting was appreciated by the Hindi journalist Pitambar Jha, who predicted a bright future for her in his article in the Hindi magazine, Chitrapat 1934.
In 1934, Bibbo acted in five films.
Vasavdatta or the Shahi Gawaiya (The Royal Musician) was her third film.
It was produced by Ajanta and directed by P. Y. Altekar, with B. Sohni and Jairaj as co-stars.
The music was by B. S. Hoogan.
The story revolved around King Udyan, who is obsessively in love with his wife, ignoring his kingdom in the process.
She was then cast in her fourth film, M. D. Bhavnani's Sair-E-Paristan, produced by Ajanta Cinetone Ltd. and co-starring P. Jairaj, Khalil Aftab, Master Nissar and W. M. Khan.
A fantasy, the story was about three Princes falling in love with the same girl.
The music was composed by B. S. Hoogan.
It was in 1934, that Bibbo composed music for a film called Adal-e-Jehangir, thus becoming the first Indian female composer.
The Mill, also called Mazdoor was directed by M. D. Bhavnani (Mohan Dayaram Bhavnani), and starred Bibbo, who played the mill owner's daughter in the film with Motilal as the hero.
The film was controversial and was banned for a few years.
1936
Her pairing with Surendra was especially well-liked with the pair giving several hits like Manmohan (1936), Jagirdar (1937), Gramaphone Singer (1938), Dynamite (1938) and Ladies Only (1939).
In 1936, she acted in Garib Parivar and Manmohan.
She was cast by Mehboob Khan in Manmohan, a film made to compete with Calcutta's New Theatres Ltd famous film Devdas.
Her co-star was Surendra and the film went on to become a commercial success with the songs becoming popular.
1937
She was also the music director for a second film called Qazzak Ki Ladki (1937).
She worked with actors like Master Nissar, Surendra and Kumar.
She formed a popular working relationship with them.
1937 saw her acting in four films, out of which Jagirdar, directed by Mehboob Khan and co-starring Surendra, was the most famous.
The film was a "romantic melodrama", with Bibbo and Surendra playing actor Motilal's parents in the latter part.
Though made on a small budget, it went on to do big business commercially for Sagar Movietone.
She acted in, and once again composed music for the film Qazzak Ki Ladki, using the name Ishrat Sultana as composer.
1939
Her fame had her featured in the lyrics of a popular song from the film Gharib Ke Lal (1939) sung by Mirza Musharraf and Kamla Karnataki, with music by Sagheer Asif and lyrics by Rafi Kashmiri.
"Tujhe Bibbo Kahoon Ke Sulochana" (Should I call you Bibbo or Sulochana), where Sulochana referred to another popular actress of the time.
This was the first time a song featuring famous actors was used in the lyrics of a film song.
1958
She won the Nigar Award for the best character actress for her role in the Pakistani film Zehr-e-Ishq (1958).
Bibbo was born Ishrat to a famous singer Hafeezan Begum.
She was cited as being a famous singer from Delhi who came to Bombay to join films.
Bibbo was a trained singer with a "coarse husky quality" like Zohrabai Ambalewali and Shamshad Begum.
